Lever and locking mechanism.



A. IVICCREREY.

LEVER AND LOCKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR-25,1916.

1 ,21 2,52. Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

ALEXANDER MCCREBEY, OF HIAWATHA, KANSAS.

LEVER AND LOCKING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed September 22, 1915, Serial No. 51,958.Divided and this application filed April 25, 1916. Serial No. 93,477.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MoCnEREY, acitizen of the United States, residmg at Hiawatha, in the county ofBrown and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lever and .Lock1ng Mechanism, of which the following isa specification.

This application is a division of an application filed by me September29, 1915, Serial No. 51,958, and relates particularly to a lever andlocking and unlocking mechanism originally shown, described and claimedin an application filed by me May 25, 1915, Serial No. 30,404.

The invention forming the subject-matter of the present application isillustrated in the accompanying drawings in whlch:

Figure 1 is a perspectlve view of the mechanism showing the same appl edto a plow; Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of a part of the mechanism;Fig. 3 1s a rear end elevation; Figs. 4 and 5 are side views showingdifferent positions assumed by the parts in the operation of theIIIVGIItlOIl.

The machine to which I have particularly applied my present invention isa motordriven plow equipped with means for antomatically turning itaround a square corner without removing the plow from the furrow orshifting it vertically therein and, in the following description, themechanism will be considered in its relation to such a plow although Iam not to be thereby understood as restricting the fields in which theinvention may be advantageously employed. In the motor-driven plow ustmentioned, the plows are carried by a frame upon which is mounted amotor and at the rear extremity of which is a propelling wheel to travelin the furrow formed by the plow, a land wheel being provided at oneside and a steering wheel at the front end. The plow beams 91 and 92each carry a plow 0 and converge toward their front ends where they areconnected with means for effectin relative vertical movement between theplovs 's and the frame. A rod 98 connects this same means with an arm 76projecting from a transversely disposed shaft 72 having a crank portion73 upon which the plows are mounted, the beam 91 being mounted directlyon the said crank portion while the beam 92 is connected therewith by abracket consisting of the members 99 and 100. The

said members 99 and 100 are secured, respectively, to the beams 91 and92 and converge laterally therefrom to be secured together around thecrank portion 73. The arm 76 radiates from the axis of the shaft 72while an arm 77 radiates from the crank portion 7 3. A shaft 78 isdisposed parallel with the shaft 72 and is provided with an arm 79 whichis connected by a rod or bar. 80 with the steering mechanism. A lever 81is mounted loosely upon the shaft 78 and is provided with a latch member88 which is adapted to cooperate with a toothed segment 83 which issecured to a part of the main frame. A rod 8,4 connects the lever 81with the arm 77 and this rod has adjustable connection both with the arm77 and the lever 81. The lever 81 is provided with a bracket or ofi'setportion having a slot 85 which receives the connection joining the rod84 to the lever. This connection is adjustable in the slot 85 and variesthe adjustment of the plows according to the throw of the lever. Theadjustable connection of the rod 8 1 with the arm 77 permits the plowsto be set at normal working depth when the lever 81 is at or about thecentral point of its range of movement. Moving the lever forward fromthis point at once interferes with correct plowing, the purpose of suchforward movement, which is always accomplished manually, being strictlyand solely to lift the plows entirely clear of the ground so as to cleara stone or to move the machine to another place to begin a new land. Thelatch 88 holds the lever either in its central or forward position. Anarm 86 is loose upon the shaft 78 and is yieldably connected thereto bymeans of a spring 87 which is of helical form and wound about the shaft,one end of the spring being attached to the shaft and the opposite endenga ing the arm 86. The arm 86 is providef with a tappet 89 which ismounted thereon so as to be projected into or out of the path of thelatch 88 and is provided with an inclined upper edge adapted to rideunder the lower end of the latch and thereby raise the same. The tappet89 is preferably pivoted to the arm 86 and may be turned aside so as toclear the latch 88 or may be adjusted to aline with the arm 86 so as toengage the latch 88 and effect disengagement of the same from thetoothed segment 83, when the plows are automatically adjusted by powerderived from the steering mechanism which pushes rearwardly upon the rod80. When theshaft 7 8 is turned by the rearward push of the rod 80, thearm 86 slides the inclined upper end of the tappet 89 under the latch88, thereby raising said latch out of engagement with thesegment 83,and, as the rotation of the shaft continues, the high shouldered end ofthe tappet will engage against the latch and will force the same and thelever 81 to the extreme rear POSI- tion, whereupon a second latch 82,which is pivoted to the lever, engages the last tooth or'rear end of thesegment and holds the le-' ver while the tappet and the arm 86 mayreturn to normal position. llhe latch 82 is preferably constructed so asto be free of the segment on its rearward movement but engage the sameon an attempted forward movement of the lever, the rearmost tooth of thesegment being extended laterally into the path of the latch. The latches82 and 88 are raised by a single handle on the lever 81 but the latch 88may rise under the influence of the tappet without affecting the latch82, it being noted, upon reference to Figs. 1, 4 and 5, that the link102 connecting the handle with the latch 82 is formed with a shoulder103 and the link 104 carrying the latch 88 is supported loosely on saidshoulder. It will also be noted that the latch 88 is mounted within andguided by a housing 105 on the lever.

The rearward movement of the bar 80 is efiected by the steeringmechanism when the machine is turned to either side. When the machineturns a corner, the propelling wheel at the rear end of the frame ridesup out of the furrow and, consequently, elevates the rear end of themachine. The plows tend to 'rise with the rear end of the machine butthis tendency is overcome by the described rearward movement of the rod80 and the parts actuated thereby so that the plow. remains at thebottom of the furrow and remains vertically stationary although there isa relative vertical movement between the plow and the frame caused bythe rear'end of the frame rising. As the machine returns tostraight-ahead position, the arm 86 will return to normal position butthe lever will remain locked in 1ts rear position until the drivingwheel drops into the furrow back of the plow whereupon the lever isreturned by hand to the normal position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new. is:

1. In combination, a shaft, an operating lever connected with the shaft,a toothed segment, a latch mounted upon the operating lever and adaptedto engage the toothed segment, a tappet adapted to release the gage thelatch from the toothed segment to' admit of the operating lever andshaft moving, and means for operating the tappet.

3. In combination, a shaft, an operating lever mountedupon the shaft, atoothed segment, a latch mounted upon the operating lever and adapted toengage the segment, a second latch mounted upon the lever and adapted toengagethe rear end of the segment, a tappet adapted to raise thefirstmentioned latch to release the same from the segment, and means foroperating the tappet.

4. In combination, a shaft, a lever mounted upon the shaft, a toothedsegment, a latch mounted upon the lever and adapted to engage thesegment, a second latch pivoted to the lever and adapted to engage therear end of the segment, a tappet having a yieldable connection with theshaft and adapted to'engage the first-mentioned latch to re segment, andmeans for rotating the shaft.

5. In combination, a shaft, a lever mounted upon the shaft, a segment, alatch mounted upon the lever and adapted to engage the segment, a secondlatch pivoted to the lever and adapted to engage the rear end of thesegment, a tappet carried by the shaft and constructed to ride under thefirst -mentioned latch to release the same from the segment and, toengage the side of said latch whereby to move the latch and the leverrearwardly, and means for rotating the shaft.

6. In combination, a fixed segment, a lever mounted loosely concentricwith the segment, means for normally locking the lever to the segment, atrip mounted loosely concentric with the segment and arranged to releasesaid locking means and move the lever from the normal position, meansfor actuating the trip and means for preventing return of the lever tonormal position while permitting return of the trfilp In testimonywhereof I a x my signature.

ALEXANDER McGREREY. [1,. s.]

